Homeward Bound
by Richan MMI
Summary: Severus and Harry have found the perfect house to raise their growing family. Will they be able to handle a life of domestic bliss? Part of the Trick and Treats Universe. SSHP slash.


Homeward Bound

(A Trick and Treats Universe adventure)

By Richan

Pairing: SS/HP

Warnings: Fluffy stuff, with a pinch of drama

Spoilers: up to GoF

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or Sev. Any original characters you see are mine, as well as the plot. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.

AN: This takes place after 'Three Makes It Family' and way before 'Arsenic and Suspenders.' There is one more story between this and 'Arsenic' but it is, as of now, totally unwritten and only a plot written down. Somewhere. I'm sure the plot bunny will remind me where.

* * *

Severus looked out over the large lawn beyond the porch where he was standing. Large, majestic trees dotted the lawn, and there was an informal approach to landscaping for the rest of the yard. A small pond rested in one corner. As Severus watched, a ring appeared on the surface and spread out, the ripples disappearing into the reeds at the edge of the pond.

"What do you think of this place, then?" a female voice asked behind him.

Severus turned to find Susan Bones standing next to Harry in the doorway. They had hired the former Hufflepuff to look for a house. Their quarters at Hogwarts were cramped as they were now with their two children, and would continue to get worse once the baby that Harry was carrying was born. It didn't help that the eldest of their children was at the stage where he didn't want to share with his little sister. At nine, Kellen thought having to share a bedroom with his three-year-old sister, Nicole, was the ultimate insult to a boy. Severus didn't fault him for that.

An arm slipped around Severus' waist as Harry leaned his rounded body up to him. "I like it, Sev," he said in a soft voice.

"Do you?" Severus asked. "And what is it that you like the best? For this house does _not_ have a suitable space for a potions lab."

"I know," Harry said. "We can always add one on. But I like the fact that there are no cupboards under the stairs. All three sets of them."

Severus felt his throat tighten at that. Even the mere thought of his husband's room in his aunt's house triggered a mixture of rage and sadness at Harry's treatment at the hands of his relatives.

Harry turned to Susan. "Has anyone else looked at this house recently?"

She shook her head. "It just came on the market, but hasn't been listed yet. I knew that you wanted a nice lawn, though. You are the first to go through."

Severus nodded. "We will owl you with our answer this evening."

Susan smiled at them. "I will be looking forward to it. You can apperate from here. As I said before, there are no wards on the land; only the house itself has basic wards." She nodded to them and disapparated with a 'pop.'

"So, do you like it?" Harry asked, sitting down on the swing at the end of the porch. He eased down slowly and rested his arm on his rounded belly.

Severus held back a smile at the picture he made. Pregnancy, aside from the strange food cravings, agreed with his husband. Harry had a healthy glow, making his hair shine even more. His green eyes were alight with happiness and, in the background, a small rise in the lawn framed him with an arbor covered in white and purple clematis. Moving towards him, Severus sat beside Harry.

He could picture himself sitting out here with Harry, as their children played in the yard - in spite of the domesticity of the scene. As Harry said, they could always add a potions lab.

A breeze started up, bringing with it a hint of fall. The two of them had been looking for a house since they found out about Harry's pregnancy. Apparently using the potion two or more times could sometimes act like a sponge for the body, making it possible for the body to become pregnant with deliberately using the potion.

They had been searching since March, and it was already late August. After looking at two dumpy looking properties, they had hire Susan Bones, who specialized in magic friendly Muggle homes. Severus didn't want the hassle of sorting through a hundred different, family-strengthened wards. Harry had also wanted a Muggle style house, because he would be more comfortable.

Severus wrapped his arm around Harry, who laid his head on Severus' shoulder.

"Do you want this house?" Severus asked.

"Yes," Harry emphatically said. "It's perfect. And this way, we can personalize the wards."

"Very well," Severus said. "let us get back to Hogwarts and we can owl Miss Bones with the news."

Harry raised his head and kissed Severus on the jaw without much movement. "Thank you, Sev."

"Your welcome. If they do accept our offer, the first thing we are doing is building a potions lab."

Harry laughed. "I know, Sev. I know."

* * *

Two weeks later, Severus was supervising the construction crew building the separate potions lab. Harry smiled at the picture he made before turning back to sort the cupboards. Once they had found out their offer for the house had been accepted, Harry and Severus had told their children. They had wanted to wait to tell their friends and family until the deal was through.

Harry should have remembered just how well a three year old could keep a secret. Noelle had blabbed the news to 'Nana Hermione.' Severus' mother's ghost had then told Dumbledore, who announced it at supper that night.

From there, Ron and Hermione had gotten together a house-warming party. Now Harry was putting away all of their gifts. That was the one thing they hadn't needed while living at Hogwarts - kitchenware. And he was very glad that their friends had given them such things, because they were something neither Severus nor Harry could transfigure.

Once the baby was born, they would slowly move everything to the house for Christmas. Once the holidays were over, Harry and the children would stay at the house, and Severus would join them on the weekends until the school year was over. If that worked fine, Severus would stay as potions master, but would resign from being Head of Slytherin. If it didn't, Severus would resign altogether and start his own business. Draco Malfoy would then be the potions professor - until he got his master and would then be resident potions master - and Head of Slytherin.

Harry had already resigned his position as Assistant Professor after finding out about his pregnancy and had started towards his own mastery in Charms. Flitwick would be resigning about the time the child that Harry was carrying now would enter Hogwarts. When Kellen had been born, Harry had given up his original position as assistant. However, when Kellen had just turned one, both Sprout and Sinistra had fallen ill, and they had needed help. Harry had volunteered his services, tired of only taking care of Kellen and trying to decide what he wanted to study as far as a subject mastery was concerned.

Ron had suggested Harry help with flying classes or Quidditch, but that was more of a pleasurable hobby than anything else. Out of all of his friends and family, Remus had been the most helpful. When Noelle was born, Remus - and sometimes Sirius with him - would often watch her when Harry needed a break or would cover for the other professors. The amber-eyed man had gone through all of Harry's books with him, helping him to sort out what he liked and what he just tolerated.

Once Noelle had been old enough, Harry had planned to study for his Charms mastery, but that plan had been put on hold by this pregnancy. Coinciding with that was Severus' wish to stop teaching for a while so he could do some research. It wasn't practical to research different potions between classes, detentions, and varied Slytherins needing his attention. If Severus stayed at Hogwarts to teach, resigning his House position would free up some time. He wouldn't, though, be the only teacher who went home of the weekends, since Vector, the Ancient Runes Professor, and Newton, the Muggle Studies instructor, had families outside of Hogwarts.

"Harry? Where did you want these dishes?" Sirius asked, bring Harry out of his wandering thoughts.

"In the cupboard by the ice box," he answered, pointed to the cabinet in question. He turned back to the window and watched Severus for a few moments before finishing his own task. Harry tiredly put the box with the others to take back to Hogwarts for the rest of their things. Even miniaturized, they could only take so much of their possessions at a time without hiring a moving company. Harry had insisted that they move in themselves. He wanted to make this experience last.

Once he was done, Harry pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down.

"Tired, Uncle Harry?"

He looked to see Blythe Weasley in the doorway. The twelve year old was as gangly as her father and had the mother hen instincts of her paternal grandmother. Harry's goddaughter was a blessing, because she adored both Kellen and Noelle, and she would take them out to play if Harry wasn't feeling well.

"Just a little," he finally answered. "Whom did you come with?"

Blythe shrugged and moved over to help Sirius put the last of the dishes away. "Dad. We met Uncle Remus on the porch, and he said you would take me home, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius grinned at the young girl who was already as tall as Harry. "It's no problem, poppet."

Harry leaned back into the chair and propped his feet on another. "Been watching much Pirates lately?

Sirius waved his hands around. "Don' ye know't!"

All three burst into laughter. They were still laughing as Severus and Remus came into the kitchen through the door off the porch.

"Your parents want free babysitting again?" Severus asked Blythe in the mock-sarcastic tone he used when she was around. He pet her on the head on the way to sit by Harry.

"Yes," Blythe answered, rolling her eyes. She gave Remus a hug as Sirius whined about where was his hug. "Where're Kellen and Noelle?"

"Charlie took them far away," Harry answered her. "They went to Disney World."

"Really?" Blythe asked. "Uncle Charlie's insane, taking those two to Florida in September."

"Your entire family is insane," Severus retorted.

Sirius snickered. Harry started to join him, but a yawn came out instead.

"I assume that means you wish to go back?" Severus asked.

Harry shrugged. "A nap is a nap. If I wasn't so big, I'd go sleep on the porch swing."

Severus _looked_ at him. "There is a perfectly good bed upstairs in our room," he pointed out in an 'you are being an idiot' tone of voice.

Harry sighed and lumbered out of the chair and headed upstairs. "I'm going. I'm going."

* * *

"Push, Harry," Madam Pomfrey calmly said as she sat between Harry's raised legs.

"I'm pushing!" he gritted out between clenched teeth. The contraction ripped through his body with the force of an avalanche. Harry pushed with all of his waning strength. The rippling of the contraction finally ceased, and he lay exhausted. Twelve hours of contractions, with the last three in full-out labor.

Next to him, Severus wrung out another cloth in cool water and swapped it with the warm one on Harry's forehead. Harry was sweating buckets, even though it was a little chilly in the hospital wing. He had already been there under Poppy's watchful eye with a fever when his water broke just after midnight. The fever had been a most unwelcome addition to the labor, and Harry's immune system couldn't combat both the fever and the contractions.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and went to wash her hands. "I'm going to give you a cesarean, Harry," she said in a worried voice. "If you get too exhausted, your body won't be able to handle the fever."

Harry tiredly nodded. As long as the baby was okay, he didn't care at the moment. "Go ahead."

"Harry..." Severus squeezed his hand.

"It's okay, Sev."

Poppy nodded. "Very well. Severus, please floo Minerva and Filius. I'll need their help setting up."

Severus gave another squeeze and left. Harry let himself drift once he did, barely acknowledging the activity surrounding him. He finally roused at the second contraction, as it was much harder than the first.

"We're almost ready, Harry," Severus' voice sounded like it was coming from the other side of the room.

"Wha'ver," he managed to get out before pain grabbed hold of him with a vise-like grip. Another contraction suddenly ripped across his abdomen, and he lost the struggle to say conscious.

"Harry!" Severus screamed as Harry's hand went totally lax. He had been sitting next to Harry when he passed out, but there had still been tension in his body from the contractions.

"Is he breathing?" Poppy asked as she tended to the wound in Harry's abdomen. Minerva and Filius were tending to the softly crying infant Poppy had just delivered.

"NO, he _isn't!_" Panic began to overtake Severus.

Poppy abandoned her stitching and pointed her wand at Harry's chest. _"Ennervate!"_

There was no response. The nurse moved her wand in an intricate pattern. _"Vivificus spiritus!"_

Severus felt his heart plummet when there was no response. Tears began to fill his eyes against his will as Harry lay still on the bed. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand again. _"Vivificus spiritus!"_

The silent room was suddenly fill with a strangled gasp from Harry and a cry from the baby. Severus gave a tearful laugh as he smoothed a hand over Harry's forehead. He wouldn't be able to keep going without Harry, as maudlin as that may sound.

Poppy bustled around the room, gathering a handful of potions. She handed them to Severus. "Give these to Harry, the smallest vial to largest in order."

Severus did so as the nurse finished with the baby, taking care that every drop went into Harry.

"Harry?" he asked the next time Harry opened his eyes about an hour later. "How are you feeling?"

"T' baby?" Harry croaked in a hoarse voice.

"Is fine. How do you feel?"

"A'right," came Harry's answer. His eyes seemed unfocused even as he looked at Severus.

"Good," Severus caressed his face, pushing back the still sweat-dampened hair falling into Harry's eyes.

"The baby?" Harry asked again.

Severus looked up at Poppy as she approached. She caught his unasked question.

"Don't worry about this, Severus. The potions are slowing his conscious thought processes."

"Very well."

Poppy nodded. "I'll run one more diagnostic test on Harry, and then I'll bring your son over."

"Thank you, Poppy." Severus stood and looked over to the crib on the other side of the room. He had wanted to see his son, but hadn't wanted to leave his husband. Now he could do both with a weight of worry lifted off his chest.

* * *

Harry cradled his newborn son as his daughter looked at him. It had been a long week since he'd been born. Harry's body had tried to shut down several times, but every time he once more awoke, he would find Severus sitting beside his bed.

"Can I play with him now?" Noelle asked.

"Not yet, honey. He's too little to go out and play right now," Sirius answered. He held Noelle on his lap as he sat next to Harry on the sofa.

Severus was sitting in his chair, trying to ignore Kellen and Blythe's argument over who was the better chess player. Remus was on the opposite sofa, trying to politely turn down Albus' perpetual offer of lemon drops.

Harry smiled as Kristofer Grady Snape yawned and opened still blue eyes. They were already darkening like Noelle's. Hers were the darkest green anyone had ever seen, while Kellen had hazel green eyes. Kris was, so far, the quietest of the three, which helped Harry get the rest he needed. Even last night, when Poppy had finally let him come home, he had barely cried. Severus had fed and changed him before bringing Kris into the bedroom. Harry hadn't heard him at all.

The fireplace lit up green and Ron and Hermione came tumbling out.

"About time you showed up," Blythe said as her parents stood up. "Uncle Siri's threatening to adopt me!"

"What?" Ron asked. "You can't be adopted!"

Harry laughed as the consternated look on his friend's face. Hermione had understood what her daughter had said, but her father certainly hadn't.

"That is a threat if I've ever heard one," Severus nodded at Blythe. "I understand people have gone insane from living with Black. It would be wise to not let him adopt you."

"I'm not insane," Remus said, smiling.

"I rest my case," Severus said.

Ron's face flushed a bright red, clashing with his hair. "You're not getting adopted by anyone!" he shouted, having obviously missed the gist of the entire conversation.

Hermione laid a hand on her husband's arm. "Ron, Blythe is only joking."

"You are?" Ron's jaw dropped. "You're just kidding?"

Blythe looked at him with a straight face. "I'm not, Dad."

"NO!?" Ron yelled.

The rest of them laughed. Harry himself did so quietly, to keep Kris from getting upset. He also did so because the skin of his abdomen was still a little tight. It was healed as well as it could be, but Harry wouldn't be able to have any more children. Still, he had three beautiful children and he couldn't regret the information that there wouldn't be any more.

Blythe finally leveled a look at Ron that was eerily reminiscent of her mother. He leaned back and put his head in his hands.

"We've raised a Snape, Hermione."

Harry smiled as Severus answered. "It's more like you had us and the mutts raise her, Weasley." It sounded bad, but it was all said in Severus' snarky 'I tolerate you for the sake of my husband but I secretly don't mind you at all' voice.

Kris gurgled and Harry patted him lightly with the hand under his diaper. The infant opened his eyes and looked directly at Harry.

He smiled down at the baby in his arms. Harry couldn't wait to see him fit into this family, even if it was one of the strangest he'd ever observed.

Fin.


End file.
